[Houston TX November 3, 2023] -- On a crisp fall day like today, one would be forgiven for forgetting the brutal heat the area experienced last summer, but the Harris County Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Management (HCOHSEM) has not. HCOHSEM Coordinator Mark Sloan and his team took time out on Friday to recognize seven Harris County Public Library (HCPL) branches that joined the countywide effort to offer safe, convenient cooling centers during the worst of the summer's record-breaking temperatures.
Starting with the long Juneteenth holiday weekend that saw heat indexes rise to dangerous levels, seven HCPL branches welcomed in neighborhood residents on Sundays when libraries are normally closed. The seven branches that received appreciation plaques from HCOHSEM are Barbara Bush, Crosby Edith Fae Cook Cole, Fairbanks, High Meadows, Katy, Maud Smith Marks, and South Houston.
From mid-June through the first week of September, HCPL staff gave up their Sunday afternoons to ensure that no one had to suffer through the heat in unsafe conditions. Due to staffing and safety considerations, libraries were unable to offer regular services on Sundays, but staff opened meeting rooms, lobbies, and restrooms to make people comfortable and welcome.
"The Sunday Cooling Centers couldn't happen without people who genuinely care about the welfare of those they serve," says HCPL Executive Director Edward Melton, "When HCOHSEM called. our branch managers and staff stepped up without hesitation."
Working with HCOHSEM, HCPL has a long record of stepping up to the challenges of Houston's volatile weather.
- HCPL libraries that were undamaged in the unprecedented floods of Hurricane Harvey in 2017 were among the first public buildings to reopen after the storm. Additionally, HCPL set up public access computers in the NRG Arena Emergency Shelter to help residents flooded out of their homes to access FEMA and other services to begin the road to recovery and offered kids programs and books to help families fill their days at the shelter.
- Several HCPL branches opened as shelters during the deadly Winter Storm of February 2021.
"HCPL is proud to work with the Harris County Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Management, says Melton, "HCOHSEM's work touches so many people in our area during very trying times. HCPL is gratified to be included in its network of partners."
